Centering and retaining member for casters.



N. s UOVEY. CENTERING AND RETAINING MEMBER FOR CASTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1911.

1,029,795. Patented June 18,1912.

/7' /6 /7 A? w r /7 M 5 m r 4 7 j w W m Y J i 6 /Z A8 WITNESSES INVENTOR QWVM UNTTED STATES PATENT FF1E NATHAN S. COVEY, OF COREY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T0 CURRY CA STOR COM- PANY, 0F COREY, PENNSYLVANIA.

CENTERING AND RETAINING MEMBER FOR CASTERS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN S- GovEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Corry, county of Erie, State of Pennsyl- Vania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centering and Retaining Members for Casters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in caster centering and retaining members, the object being to provide means whereby the pintle will be centered and held firmly within a tubular leg of a piece of furniture.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means for forming the spring retaining arms and for securing the same to the centering member whereby said arms will be firmly and at the same time be held in such position that the member can be readily forced up into a tubular leg.

A. further object of the invention is to provide novel means for holding the pintle within the member whereby the same can be easily and quickly attached or detached and yet will be held securely in position under the ordinary strain to which the same may be subjected.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing-Figure 1 is a vertical section through my improved centering and retaining member showing the same in position within a tubular leg and on a caster; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken at right angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the standard; and Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modification.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a caster frame of the ordinary construction having a wheel 2 and provided with a pintle 3 which is annularly grooved as shown at 4 and is provided with a flat upper end 5 for the purpose which will be later described.

The centering and retaining member comprises a circular base 6 having an annular shoulder 7 and provided with an annular upwardly and inwardly projecting flange 8 adapted to fit snugly against the outer wall of a tubular leg 9 when the same is arranged Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 19, 1911.

Serial No. 633,975.

therein, the inner wall engaging the shoulder 7 in order to center the member within the tubular leg. The circular base 6 is provided with a central opening 10 to receive the pintle 3 in such a manner that the same will be free to rotate therein and of such a size that it will receive the ordinary pintle of casters now in use which enables my improved centering and retaining member to be used in connection with various forms of casters.

Mounted upon the base 6 is a substantially inverted U-shaped standard 11 which is provided with tongues 12 at its lower end adapted to pass through apertures in the base 6 and to be bent inwardly in order to secure the standard firmly in position upon the base. The standard is preferably of a strip of metal and is mounted at such a position upon the base that the outer face of the same will be substantially in vertical alinement with the shoulder 7 in order to fit snugly against the inner wall of the leg 9 of the piece of furniture to which it is applied. By this construction, it will be seen that the member will be centered and held firmly within the leg in such a manner that all danger of the leg moving upon the base is prevented. The central portion of the standard 11 is provided with a semi-spherical projection 18 formed by punching the material from which the standard is formed downwardly which forms a bearing adapted to rest upon the flat upper end of the pintle 3 in order to allow the pintle to rotate easily when the weight of the piece of furniture is upon the same. a

The spring retaining arms for engaging Patented June 18, 1912.

the inner face of the tubular leg so as to hold the member in position therein are formed of a single piece of spring metal bent centrally to form a substantially U-shaped portion 14 which is provided with an opening 15 to receive the pintle 3 and the end portions are bent outwardly and downwardly as shown at 16 on curved lines in order to facilitate the insertion of the member within the leg. The arms are connected to the standard by rivets 17 as clearly shown in order to support the same in its proper po: sition in respect to the pintle and the vertical portions of the U-shaped portion 14: are provided with projections 18 adapted to be normally held within the groove 41 of the pintle in order to retain the same therein.

The projections 18 are preferably formed by] upon which said standard is mounted, means inwardly indenting the plate from which the retaining member is formed, and it will be seen that the pintle of the caster will be supported vertically within the tubular leg at three pointsin order to hold thesame firmly.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5,. I show a pintle 19 having a pointed upper end 20 upon which the arch-shaped standard 21 of the retaining member is adapted to rest, the projection being omitted.

l/Vhile I have shown and described a certain manner of forming the retaining arms, it is, of course, understood that the shape of the same may be changed and the manner of mounting the same without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base, an inverted U-shaped standard arranged upon said base having a bearing upon said pintle for centering the base upon a tubular leg, and spring arms carriedby said standard and adapted to engage the inner wall of the tubular leg.

2. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base, an inverted U-shaped standard mounted upon said base having a bearingupon the upper end of said pintle, and a retaining member carried by said standard comprising a spring bent centrally to form a substantially U-shaped portion having an opening to receive the pintle and provided with outwardly extending free ends, said U-shaped portion being provided with pintle engaging members.

3. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base having an annular flanged edge, an inverted U-shaped standard arranged on said base and. spaced from said flange to receive the leg between said flange and standard, said standard having a bearing resting upon the upper end of the pintle, and spring arms carried by said standard having outwardly extending free ends.

4. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base having an annular shoulder and a marginal flange, an inverted U-shaped standard secured upon said base and adapted to rest upon said pintle and support the base, the legs of said standard being spaced from said flange, and depending outwardly extending arms carried by said standard for engaging the inner face of the leg to which the member is attached.

5. In a centering and retaining member for caster pintles, the combination with a tubular leg, of a base having an inverted U- shaped standard for centering the base on the leg, a pintle extending through said base for retaining the pintle in said base, and outwardly extending spring arms carried by said standard for engaging the inner face of the tubular leg.

6. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base havingv an annular seat to receive the edge of the centering member to which the leg is attached, an inverted U-shaped standard arranged upon said base at the inner edge of said seat and having a bearing upon the pintle, a member carried by said standard having a bearing and a retaining means for the pintle, and depending spring arms carried by said standard for engaging the inner face of the leg to which said member is attached.

7. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base having an annular flanged edge to engage the outer face of the leg to which the member is attached, an inverted U-shaped standard carried by said base for engaging the inner face of the leg adapted to rest upon the pintle of the caster, a member having a central U- shaped portion carried by the standard and provided with an opening to receive the pintle, said member being provided with spring arms normally held in extended position beyond the radius of the base.

8. The combination with a caster having a pintle, of a base mounted upon said pintle, an inverted U-shaped standard mounted upon said baseand resting 'upon the end of said pintle, and a spring member carried by said standard having spring arms at right angles to the standard for engaging the member to which the caster is attached.

9. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base having an inverted U-shaped standard mounted thereon having a bearing on the end of the pintle, a spring member carried by said standard having a U-shaped portion provided with oppositely disposed projections, the ends of said spring member terminating in curved depending spring arms arranged at right angles to the standard and adapted to engage the inner face of the leg to which the caster is attached.

10. A centering and retaining member for caster pintles comprising a base, an inverted U-shaped standard mounted upon said base having a bearing on the end of the pintle, a spring member having av U-shaped portion carried by said standard and adapted to receive the pintle, pintle retaining means carried by said spring member, and curved spring arms extending outwardly from said spring member at right angles to the standard. 1

11. A caster centering and retaining mem ber comprisinga base having a standard for centering the base on a tubular leg, a pintle retaining member having a bearing for the end of the pintle, said pintle retaining member terminating in outwardly extending curved spring arms.

12. A caster having a pintle; and a legsupporting and pintle-retaining frame consisting of a perforated leg-supporting baseplate; a saddle member which carries the latter; and a spring-arm member carried by said saddle member; one of said members being formed in its top with a depression over which lies the top of the other of said members, a wall of said depression being formed with an opening in line with the perforation in said base-plate; the pintle passing through said perforation and opening and being therein rotatably supported by the walls of the same with its upper end bearing pivot-like against that part of the last-named member which overlies said depression; and the spring arms of said spring-arm member being arranged to press frictionally against the inner wall of the tubular leg resting on the caster.

13. A caster having a pintle; and a legsupporting and pintle-retaining frame consisting of a perforated legsupporting baseplate; a saddle member which carries the latter; and a spring-arm member carried by said saddle member; one of said members being formed in its top with a depression over which lies the top of the other of said members, a wall of said depression being formed with an opening in line with the perforation in said base-plate; the pintle passing through said perforation and opening and being therein rotatably supported by the walls of the same with its upper end earing pivot-like against that part of the last-named member which overlies said depression; said frame being provided with yielding means for detachably engaging the pintle and retaining the same against accidental displacement but free to be readily removed from said frame at will; and the spring arms of said spring-arm member being arranged to press frictionally against the inner wall of the tubular leg resting on the caster.

14. A caster having a pintle, and a legsupporting and pintle-retaining frame consisting of a perforated leg-supporting baseplate, a saddle member which carries the latter, and a spring-arm member carried by said saddle member, one of said members being formed in its top with a depression over which lies the top of the other of said members, a wall of the member having the depression being formed with an opening,

through which opening and through the perforation in said base plate rotatably passes the pintle, said pintle having its upper end fitting snugly between and in engagement with the lateral walls of said depression and bearing pivot-like against that part of the member which overlies said depression, and the spring-arms of said spring arm member being arranged to press frictionally against the inner wall of the tubular leg resting on the caster.

15. A caster having a grooved pintle; and a leg-supporting and pintle-retaining frame consisting of a perforated leg-support-ing base-plate; a saddle member which carries the latter; and a spring-arm member carried by said saddle member; one of said members being formed in its top with a depression over which lies the top of the other of said members and the walls of which are formed with an inset and with an opening through which end the perforation in said base-plate passes the pintle supported rotatably by the walls of said opening and perforation with its upper end fitting snugly between and in engagement with the lateral walls of said depression and bearing pivot-like against that part of the lastnamed member which overlies the latter; said inset projecting into the groove in the pintle to retain the same within said frame; and the spring-arms of said spring-arm member being arranged to press frictionally against the inner Wall of the tubular leg resting on the caster.

16. A caster having a pintle; and a boX- like leg-supporting and pintle-retaining frame in which the pintle is housed and which consists of a perforated leg-supporting base-plate; a saddle member comprising a strip of an inverted U-shape, ends of which are fastened to the base-plate and house the pintle and the top of which is formed with recesses which facilitate the ready insertion of the frame into the tubular leg resting on the caster; and springs which are carried by said saddle member. and press frictionally against the inner wall of the tubular leg; the pintle passing through the perforation in the base-plate free to rotate and bearing pivot-like against the top of the saddle member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NATHAN S. COVEY.

Witnesses:

EDWARD G. CRAPSER, JOHN UNSIRM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington, D. G. 

